


Hurts to fall

by 6_impossiblethings



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, M/M, Roommates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:08:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27559600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/6_impossiblethings/pseuds/6_impossiblethings
Summary: After moving back to Columbia, Andrew and Neil are both moving into the same apartment with their mutual friend - Kevin. They don’t know each other and it’s dislike at first sight, but now they’ve got to live together. A spider, a sports game, and getting stuck in the bathroom quickly push them into a friends-with-benefits situation. Andrew's not sure what to do now knowing sometimes it hurts to fall.
Relationships: Kevin Day/Thea Muldani, Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard, Nicky Hemmick/Erik Klose
Comments: 11
Kudos: 126





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [slnstrly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/slnstrly/gifts).



It all started on move in day.

If Andrew was previously indifferent towards Kevin, he definitely disliked him now.

Andrew recently got a new job in Columbia, and after Kevin found out, he demanded they move in together. All in the name of practicality. 

Not caring as usual, Andrew went along with it. He didn’t even listen when Kevin said a third roommate was joining them. 

Andrew had only met Neil Josten once before, but that had been enough. 

They met at a party for Kevin during his senior year at Palmetto State. Andrew first knew he didn’t like the guy when he showed up looking like a disaster in tattered clothes. It did nothing for his sharp features and Andrew thought that was a shame. Then again, when Neil tried talking to him about exy. He and Kevin were on the team together, but Andrew already heard enough about it from Kevin. And finally, when the two got into a huge fight over something so stupid Andrew couldn’t even remember. Either way, he had avoided Neil after that.

He was insufferable and Andrew had hoped to avoid him in the future. He wanted to stop seeing those blue eyes. Hearing his voice. Even if he was one of Kevin’s friends, Andrew wanted nothing to do with him. 

But there he was, standing in the kitchen so casually instead of Kevin. He tried to think of some way to ask what Neil was doing there without sounding completely rude.

Neil still hadn’t said anything, but he looked far from surprised to see Andrew there. He crossed his arms and said, “I was going to let you pick which room you wanted. I don’t have much stuff so the space doesn’t matter to me.”

He tried to hide any surprise from his face while instantly began counting down the days until their lease was up.

Andrew put down his box and still hadn’t responded. This prompted Neil to continue, “You did know I was living here too right? Kevin said he told you.”

“Yeah he mentioned it.”

“Good. You should also know I’m getting a cat.”

Not even ten minutes into living here and he was already making demands. This was going to be impossible. 

“What if I don’t want one?” Honestly, Andrew didn’t care if Neil got a cat. He just didn’t want to deal with it. And maybe a small part of him wanted to be difficult. After all, he just moved in and was already being ambushed.

Neil just shifted to leaning against the counter, “Too bad. I know you’re not allergic and I’ve always wanted a cat.”

Andrew decided this wasn’t worth arguing over and moved on. He wanted to get the unpacking over with.

His and Neil’s rooms were right next to each other. They were on the second floor while Kevin had the top floor. 

To Andrew’s displeasure, he would also be sharing a bathroom with Neil. So the chances of fully avoiding him just dropped from 10% to 0%. 

He noticed Neil only had the bare essentials in the bathroom. Andrew thought back to Kevin’s party and Neil’s statement about not having a lot to move in. There was something off about his whole story, but Andrew didn’t know what. 

Andrew tried to deny that he found Neil interesting, but as their first few weeks went on, Andrew couldn’t help but pick up on other weird habits.

The first thing he noticed was strange marks on his skin. Neil had his sleeves rolled up one day in the kitchen. Andrew must’ve starred a bit too long because when he noticed, Neil tugged his sleeves up immediately. Belatedly, Andrew thought they might have been burn marks. 

The second thing Andrew didn’t pick up until they were three weeks into living together. Neil had yet to show evidence that he had even begun to unpack. He had sheets on his bed but all of his boxes were packed still. As if he wasn’t quite comfortable accepting that he lived here. Andrew initially thought he was being lazy, but when Kevin offered to help him, he became weirdly possessive over his boxes. The reaction reminded Andrew of when he would have to guard his possessions in foster care.

The third thing was Neil’s constant anxiety. He appeared at ease, but Andrew observed Neil keeping track of all the exits in the room. Andrew swears Neil carries a knife on him. Not that Andrew is one to judge, but he assumes there is likely a reason behind this.

Finally, Andrew just decided Neil Josten didn’t add up. He had boring and tattered clothes, which his fashionista best friend, Allison Reynolds, had allowed him to wear for some reason. He also only owned the bare essentials and saying even that was a stretch.

Neil Josten didn’t even seem like a real person half of the time. 

Andrew hated him for it. It made him so interesting. His thoughts seemed to be filled with nothing else but his new roommate. 

That stupid voice and his bright blue eyes were haunting him.

Even if Andrew found Neil interesting, there were plenty of things that still irritated him.

For one, Neil aided Kevin in an exy obsession. The two worked as sport agents and managed several professional exy athletes. They talked of nothing else some days. They talked about diet plans and drills. 

Secondly, Neil seemed to have a rotation of nosy visitors. The three most common were Allison, Dan, and Matt. They visited 3-5 times a week. Andrew didn’t peg Neil to be so social, but his friends definitely were. 

The worst offense, Neil wasn’t a dessert person. Andrew had a strong belief one could not be trusted if they claimed to not like any dessert.

He found out when Neil had tried to make dinner for the three of them. He butchered most of the dinner. Then he and Kevin got into an argument over the nutritional value of each food. Finally, he offered Andrew some of the “ice cream” he had bought earlier that day. It turned out he bought sherbet because real ice cream was “too sweet”. It was just so wrong.

Either way, Andrew was certain he didn’t like Neil Josten. He supposed it could be worse, but this was very different than how he envisioned his lifestyle in Columbia.

Now they were stuck living together though.

Andrew was counting down the days until he could find a new apartment. For now, he would let himself enjoy the mystery of Neil Josten.


	2. Chapter 2

It was a very bad day for Andrew.

All he wanted to do after a long day at work was come to his room and pass out. 

He threw all of his things down and went to flop onto his bed when he noticed. There on his pillow, was a giant spider. 

Catching himself before falling onto the bed, Andrew stumbled and screamed.

Neil must’ve been in the next room and heard because Andrew heard him run in. Turning around he saw Neil’s hand move towards his pocket. Also where Andrew suspected he kept his knife.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” Neil asked in a rush. He was ready to strike, but he straightened up noticing no immediate threat.

Andrew pointed to the pillow and just said, “That.”

Neil began to laugh and Andrew was instantly annoyed. Who was this kid to be so okay with spiders? 

He must’ve realized Andrew didn’t think it was so funny so he stopped. He stiffened and then looked between Andrew and the spider.

“Want me to take care of it for you?” 

It sounded sincere enough so Andrew nodded. 

Instead of killing it, Neil scooped it up and took it outside. 

Andrew was thankful the immediate threat was gone, but he found himself again questioning Neil Josten. Someone who clearly was ready for a fight and instead freed a spider outside. This boy was just filled with paradoxes. 

As a thank you, he ordered Chinese take out for him and Neil. Kevin came home an hour later and was annoyed to find out he had missed dinner. 

He tried to argue with Neil over which options would have been healthier for him. Instead, Neil responded by telling Kevin he had put the spider in Kevin’s room. 

Such an asshole. Andrew almost laughed at Kevin’s panicked reaction.

Kevin’s anxiety increased until Neil assured him repeatedly that it was a joke. 

Did Neil always have to be such an instigator?

This whole event led Kevin to announce they needed more roommate bonding time. They each threw out some ideas - ax throwing bar (Andrew), going for a nighttime jog (Neil), or going to an escape room (Kevin). After much debate, they settled for a movie night instead. Kevin mentioned a new movie he had been wanting to see about King Henry V. He assured them they would like the battle scenes, but mostly Neil just made comments about the terrible accents. 

Andrew realized this was the first time the three of them had hung out and had a good time. Maybe this roommate thing would work out better than expected. If he could get Neil on his side against Kevin, it even could be entertaining.

Eventually, they all cleaned up and went to their respective rooms. Andrew got all ready for bed, but he stopped before getting into bed.

The sheets. He realized the spider had probably crawled all over them. And just nope, there was no way Andrew was sleeping there. 

He stared at the sheets and debated doing laundry. He calculated it would take him almost two hours before he would be able to get to bed.

It was late though and Andrew didn’t want to wait that long.

He tried and failed to talk himself into it. He debated sleeping with no sheets, but then thoughts of a possible spider web haunted him. There was just no way he was sleeping in his room that night. 

This left him with only one option.

Grudgingly, he knocked on Neil’s door.

“Kevin, I already told you six times I’m not running with you at 5 am tomorrow.”

Feeling even more awkward now, Andrew responded, “Um, it’s Andrew actually.”

He waited for Neil to call back, “Oh, come in” before pushing the door open. 

Andrew took in Neil’s still mostly empty room before landing his gaze on his roommate. Neil didn’t look confused to see him there, but he did start with, “So, what’s up?”

“I think there might be a web in there.”

Neil’s eyebrows lifted slightly. “I can check for you if you want.”

Embarrassed, Andrew continued, “And it was in my sheets.”

“Oh” was all Neil had to say in response. It was silent for a moment. Andrew was praying Neil would just offer without Andrew having to ask.

Neil stared intently at the floor before coming to a conclusion. Suddenly, he straightened up and said, “Just sleep in here. Sorry I don’t have much, but you can take the floor.” 

Andrew accepted the offer and went to grab some blankets from downstairs. 

He came back and made a pile on the floor. He laid down and began looking around the room again. Neil’s closet was mostly empty. He only had a few pictures up. It was bare for the most part. 

He mentally compared it to his room, which was filled with stacks of books and posters of musical records. Kevin’s was filled with random exy memorablia and a poster with a bunch of famous historical quotes. 

Neil’s was the only one who looked temporary. As if the person could be gone within an instant.

Somehow his self control was breaking when it came to Neil. 

“Hey Neil,” Andrew called out.

Neil sleepily responded, “Yeah?”

“Question for a question: why haven’t you unpacked more?”

“I’ve never had a place of my own like this before. I wasn’t sure what to do,” Neil replied. Andrew could sense he was telling the truth, but what had Neil's life been like before this?

Andrew’s interest peaked yet again as he considered the possibilities. Maybe he had been a foster kid like Andrew. Perhaps his family hadn't been well off or was a bit too much like Aaron's mother. Or maybe he was a run away. 

Before he could stop himself, “We’re going shopping this week.” 

Ugh. What if Neil didn’t want to go shopping with him? He hated Josten so why did he even ask or care in the first place? Even if it vaguely felt like Neil would maybe understand his past somehow…

Neil’s voice shook Andrew from his thoughts with the question of, “Why are you so afraid of spiders?”

The response felt almost automatic - “I’m not afraid of them, I just don’t like them.”

“Your scream today said otherwise.”

Andrew rolled his eyes at this. “I was just surprised. No one likes them.”

“Well, what are you afraid of then?”

It seemed Andrew just couldn’t resist Neil. This was technically a second question, but he was worried if he argued, Neil would stop playing.

“Heights” was all Andrew responded with. The word seemed to slip out of him.

“But Andrew, why do you always sit out on the roof?” So Neil had noticed him. The last few weeks he perched out on the ledge outside of his window. Andrew didn’t think anyone had seen him, but clearly Neil had.

“Feeling.” Again, grudgingly providing Neil with answers.

A small part of him wondered why he would care about Neil thinking he’s interesting?

It was quiet and comfortable for a moment. Andrew closed his eyes and felt the weight of sleep come over him.

A few moments later, Neil mumbled, “Andrew? Are you gonna take your turn?”

Feeling like he was already asleep, he said, “Save it for tomorrow”

He must’ve fallen asleep right after that. He woke up and was unsure if Neil had said anything else the rest of the night. He just knew he had strangely slept well on Neil’s floor. 

Andrew never slept well when in the same room as someone else, but maybe he had just been so tired it didn’t matter.

He collected his things and moved back to his room. After stripping his bed, he went to do laundry and was soon satisfied there were no more signs of the spider in his room.

This whole ordeal made him hate Neil only about 60% of the time now. 

At least he could count on Neil for antagonizing Kevin (one of the best pastimes) and getting rid of spiders (an essential roommate quality). Maybe things wouldn’t be so bad.


	3. Chapter 3

Ever since the spider incident, things had changed between Andrew and Neil.

Yes, he still hated Neil, but he was more tolerable now.

He looked forward to Neil coming in and venting about his day. The amount of insults he had for Kevin was truly astounding. This slowly transitioned into them talking (complaining) about everything together. If he texted Neil during work about having a bad day, there would just happen to be a new tub of ice cream in the freezer. If Neil texted him the same thing, Andrew returned the favor with buying him fruit at the market on the way home.

At this point, Neil had finally met Renee, Nicky, and Aaron. Neil had introduced him to Allison, Matt, and Dan. 

Both groups seemed to have hit it off at the housewarming party Nicky and Allison had forced them to have. 

Now, it was a thing. Their groups had meshed and they were officially friends. Somehow, Andrew still wasn’t sure what had happened.

They had a group chat. They would meet for dinner or happy hour throughout the week. Sometimes Matt would come join Andrew at the gym to mix it up. Andrew wouldn’t go to everything, but eventually he would be dragged along to something.

He somehow always ended up sitting next to Neil.

Content to let the others talk, Andrew never offered his thoughts on anything. The only time he willingly let himself contribute was trivia night. Andrew tended to come to this since his memory helped earn a free tab for their drinks. 

Tonight though, Andrew could tell something was off. It was just him, Neil, Nicky, and Allison at pub trivia. Kevin was over at Thea’s, Aaron had an exam, Renee was teaching a class, and Matt’s mom was in town, which meant Dan was busy too. Neil seemed more agitated than usual while ignoring Nicky and Allison. They had tried talking to him earlier, but he had been quick to cut it off. 

Clearly, Andrew was missing something here, but he was sure Neil would tell him later. Or, in their question game Andrew could just ask. 

Tensions seemed to rise throughout the night, but once the game ended and their team won, they celebrated anyway. 

Andrew drove Neil back to their place. It was a quiet ride over, but Andrew fully expected Neil to let it out once they got home. 

They unlocked the house and immediately headed upstairs. They each headed for their perspective rooms, but it only took Neil about five minutes before he showed up in Andrew’s room. 

He threw himself onto the beanbag chair next to Andrew’s bed. He covered his face with his hands and let out a groan. 

Neil didn’t move his hands away but the words, “They keep trying to set me up on dates” came out all muffled. 

Andrew straightened at this. He was suddenly more curious about Neil’s frustration now. 

“Who Nicky and Allison?”

Neil finally pulled his hands away to look at Andrew. He let out another frustrated sigh before getting into it, “No, all of them. The only ones who haven’t said anything are you and Kevin. Kevin is also probably too obsessed with his own relationship to even think about it. But why does it matter if I’m dating someone?”

Andrew wasn’t sure what to say but just offered, “Only do it if you want to.”

Neil continued on with his rant, “They won’t believe me when I say I’m not interested. I want to figure it out for myself and they won’t let me. I don’t even know if I do swing and they just want to set me up with anyone and everyone. I’m not ready for that.”

Andrew waited a moment to see if Neil would continue on. 

“Well what are you ready for?”

Andrew thought it was an innocent question, but Neil blushed at this. He turned his head away from Andrew and gazed at the poster on the wall.

“I wish I knew if I were into men or women, so I don’t want to date yet. I don’t want to lead anyone on either.”

Before Andrew could stop himself, the words, “I can help you with that” tumbled right out of his mouth.

Neil whipped his head up and asked, “Help how?”

Andrew truly hated himself for his lack of restraint. He could back out of it now, but he also wanted to make things interesting. Just because he hated Neil didn’t mean he was blind to how attractive he was.

“You can kiss me and that can help you decide. No strings attached.”

Neil’s blush deepened, but he agreed. 

Both of them stood and faced each other. 

Neil quietly asked, “Can I?” before placing his hands on Andrew’s face. Soon, his hands were pulling Andrew’s face closer. 

As their lips met, Andrew tightened his grip on Neil. What started off as a light kiss quickly moved into a full on make out session. Andrew just wanted more. 

They broke only as Andrew moved back towards his bed. 

“Is this okay?” he asked Neil. He was enjoying this more than anything else he had done in months, but he didn’t want to make Neil uncomfortable.

Neil barely got a “yes” out before pulling Andrew back in for another kiss.

Andrew had no idea how much time had passed but eventually they broke apart. They laid side by side on Andrew’s bed.

It was quiet and comfortable between them.

For once, Andrew didn’t want to immediately push someone away. 

Neil spoke up first, “I definitely liked that.”

Andrew felt that between the endorphins and alcohol from earlier, he had no choice but to smile.

“Me too” followed by promises to each other that it was just a one time thing. After a few more moments, Neil got up and went back to his room.


	4. Chapter 4

This was perhaps the biggest lie Andrew would tell to himself. Nothing about Neil made this a one time thing.

In fact, almost every day after that, Neil would come into Andrew’s room. Some days they would talk. Some days they would share cigarettes. Some days they would just lay on Andrew’s bed. His favorite days were when they would make out. 

They seemed to have a mutual agreement and Neil naturally picked up on Andrew’s moods for the day.

Yes, he still annoyed Andrew all the time, but things were different now.

They also were spending more time together. They cooked, went to the gym (Andrew to lift and Neil to run), played video games, antagonized Kevin, and hung out with their friends more and more.  He found himself going to more and more events with their friend group. He knew it was because of Neil, but he didn’t want to admit it.

He couldn’t stop feeling interested in everything he did. He didn’t want to miss anything while Neil was away with their other friends.  Andrew was determined to unlock Neil’s secrets. 

Today, they were having an NCAA exy play off watching party at their house. Kevin and Neil had heavily outvoted Andrew on this. 

For this reason, he happily was sitting in his room ignoring everyone. He didn’t want to waste his time watching a sport he didn’t even care about when he had played years ago. He predicted Neil would just stare and scream at the TV anyways, so what was the point?

He was halfway through his second cigarette when he heard someone step into his room. 

Just by the sound of his steps, he knew it was Neil.

He pretended not to notice and waited for Neil to announce his presence. 

“Aren’t you going to join us?”

Andrew rolled his eyes thinking Neil always did have a one track mind. He turned around slightly to look at Neil.

He was wearing a Palmetto State University sweatshirt, which if Andrew had to guess, was probably from when he went there.

He and Kevin were still huge fans of the Foxes. Kevin because his dad was the coach there and Neil because he claims it saved his life. Sometimes Andrew thought that was Neil being dramatic and other times he wasn’t so sure.

Andrew just looked at Neil for a moment before answering, “No”

Neil shifted before moving to sit on Andrew’s bed. “It’s supposed to be an exciting game.”

“Can exy be exciting?” Andrew knew it was likely to irritate Neil, but he didn’t care for exy. To him it was only slightly more interesting than staring at a wall. In this case, he didn’t want to listen to all of his friends cheer for an hour straight.

Neil didn’t seem shocked by Andrew’s response but he kept on. “USC has this amazing freshmen striker this year. He’s got a really nasty trick shot to the bottom left. It’s going to be incredible since the Foxes’s defense should make it interesting. They have so many veteran players this year they could pull it out.”

Andrew just stared blankly. Neil would realize soon he wasn’t going to change his mind.

Neil continued going over the different players. He keyed in on a few players he was looking to sign for his agency in the next few years. It was less annoying than how Kevin explained things, but he still didn’t care.

Finally, it seemed Neil snapped, “Will you talk to me if I talk about something other than exy?”

Andrew felt his control slip again as he let out, “Can you even talk about something else?” He meant it as a challenge, but he saw Neil flinch at his comment. 

He knew that wasn’t true. They had been talking about anything and everything for weeks now. Andrew couldn’t explain it, but he just wanted to be left alone for now.

When Neil didn’t respond, he pushed past him and went down towards his car. He just wanted to go for a drive and clear his head.

The first ten minutes of his mind were spent whirling. He warred with himself over what he had said - half of him felt guilty and the other half just wanted to keep driving. Did this feeling of guilt mean he suddenly cared for Neil? Guilt was a useless emotion, like regret. Andrew had a strict moral code that he typically stuck to, but was this somehow different? Did he ruin everything with Neil with his exy comment? Neil was easily the most interesting person he'd met - exy was really the only boring part about him. Andrew hated to admit it, but Even that Neil still made interesting with his snarky commentary. 

Andrew wondered what Neil was saying about the game. If he had made sharp criticisms of the players and how many times he and Kevin had fought already. It could be fun to gang up on Kevin with him. Maybe it would be entertaining to watch the game.

He circled around Columbia before stopping to pick up pizzas from their favorite place in town. He placed his order and made sure to order enough for everyone.

Belatedly, he realized he had ordered two of Neil’s favorite pizzas and forgotten his own. 

He brushed it off as an accident. Maybe Neil would take it as a subtle apology. Whatever. Andrew didn’t care though. At least that’s what he told himself.

He came back in when the game was almost over. He announced his arrival and delivery of pizza by saying, “here”. He dropped them on the table and took a seat.

Everyone cheered and thanked him for it. They all started eating right away and quickly got back to the game. Thankfully, the pizza cut down on any commentary from Kevin as he was busy chewing.

Andrew felt Neil looking at him but he tried to ignore it. When he did look up, Neil raised an eyebrow at him and took a bite of his pizza.

He hated to admit it, but the rest of the game was interesting. They ended up going into overtime and then a shoot off. It seemed USC was going with their freshmen striker. Andrew remembered Neil mentioning him earlier. 

Just by looking at the striker, he knew where the player was going to aim. “He’s going to shoot bottom left.”

Kevin whipped towards him and remarked, “Why would he do that? He should know that’s where Martinez’s highest save percentage is.” 

Andrew just motioned back to the screen.

Surely enough, the striker went bottom left, which was blocked. 

Everyone was quiet after that. The Foxes just needed one point now to win.

The PSU striker approached the line. Somehow, Andrew just knew it was going in. 

He watched the player assess the goalie and begin to aim. The goalie was cheating to the right. If the striker noticed, he had the game.

Andrew barely remembered it as the next thing he knew was the sound of a loud buzzer and all of his friends cheering. 

As alums of the school, everyone was jumping and cheering. Nicky even had the audacity to pull Andrew into a hug.

They all made plans to watch the championship together the following weekend. It was sickening to Andrew how much these people could love exy.

At least they all stayed to clean up. They all thanked him for the pizza and began to trickle out one by one. 

Andrew decided that meant it was time for ice cream. He scooped out some into a bowl and took it up to his room. 

For whatever reason, social interaction was just too much today. Even being with his friends for a short while had drained him. 

When he had just finished the last bite of ice cream, his door clicked open. Neil slid only part of the way in as if to determine Andrew’s mood before entering. 

Andrew watched him take in the empty bowl, the cigarette pack and lighter on his desk, and Andrew sitting there calmly before stepping all the way into the room. 

“So bottom left, huh?” Of course Neil would bring up exy. Had he only wanted to prove Andrew’s point from earlier?

Andrew just rolled his eyes in response.

“You know, I don’t think Kevin will ever get over this. You beat him in a bet about exy. It’s almost like you  _ do  _ care.”

“Don’t.” 

Neil immediately stopped the exy chatter. He was quiet for a minute.

“Well, I was glad you sat with us” came out so quietly Andrew could’ve made it up. He followed it up with, “Why didn’t you get pepperoni pizza though?”

It surprised Andrew that Neil would know his preferred pizza. Andrew never directly voiced his opinion, but he did usually get it. 

Andrew didn’t know how to tell him he had been too busy thinking about his annoying and attractive housemate to order his food correctly.

He just shrugged in response. How was he supposed to explain to Neil that it was for him?

Neil sat on the bed and just watched Andrew finish his ice cream. Somehow, it was like Neil knew Andrew needed space and silence today. He didn’t ask yes or no. He didn’t try to move closer. He just sat there and laid back onto Andrew’s bed. 

It was peaceful and relaxing and honestly everything Andrew needed. He wanted to hate Neil for being able to figure him out, but he couldn’t. Something about it made Andrew feel seen. Andrew felt his heart clench at the thought.

Eventually, Neil moved to get up, but Andrew told him to stay. He wasn’t sure why considering he was having quite the day. When Neil got up to use the bathroom, Andrew somehow missed him. Even though he knew Neil was coming right back, those few minutes had made Andrew feel more alone. Maybe subconsciously, he knew to keep Neil close.

Either way, they got into bed, and Andrew fell asleep immediately. He didn’t even wake once the entire night.

  
  
  



	5. Chapter 5

Later that week, Andrew just got home from work when he hears a banging noise coming from upstairs. Assuming the worst, he pulls out a small knife from his bands and creeps upstairs. The banging doesn’t stop and as he heads up the stairs, he realizes it’s coming from the bathroom.

He reaches the door, prepared to knock it down as he hears, “Help! Andrew! Kevin!”

Neil. 

Andrew didn’t think he sounded stressed or anything but wanted to check before putting the knife away.

“Neil, are you in there?” he called.

“Andrew! Oh thank god. I’m stuck in the bathroom.”

Andrew face-palmed himself immediately. Of course. Since they had moved in, their bathroom door lock got stuck when it was used. They had all agreed on a system so they didn’t have to use the lock and risk being locked in. Neil somehow always forgot this, and he already had locked himself in three other times.

“I’m going to leave you in there.”

Neil whined back, “Nooo. I didn’t mean to. Can you just get the screwdriver?”

Andrew rolled his eyes. “Do you ever listen?”

“Yes, it was just a reflex though. I swear!”

Andrew heard a thud as if Neil had moved to lean against the door. 

“How long have you been in there?”

“Maybe two hours?”

“And you didn’t text because?”

“My phone’s in my room.”

Andrew sighed loudly. At least it made sense why Neil had never answered his most recent text. He started to walk away from the door to go find the screwdriver. It must’ve alerted Neil because he heard shouts of, “Andrew come back!” followed by more banging. 

Regardless, this would’ve annoyed Andrew enough to just let Neil out in the first place.

“You better be getting the screwdriver!” was the next thing Andrew heard while searching for it in their tool box.

Finally, Andrew found it and made his way back to the door. He twisted the screws out and fixed the lock, which freed Neil.

He opened up the door to Neil smiling brightly at him.

“My hero,” Neil said to him before leaning in to kiss Andrew on his cheeks. Then he stopped to whisper in his ear, “I’ll thank you for this tonight.”

Andrew felt himself blush at the thought. 

He went down to the kitchen to start working on their dinner. Kevin would be home soon, so Andrew needed a head start in making it. If he waited for Kevin, they would either spend hours experimenting or be forced into using “super health” ingredients that ultimately made everything taste horrible.

Andrew had prepped their steaks and went to turn on their grill. He threw in some chopped vegetables for Kevin and Neil. He made them all baked potatoes. He was halfway through making their dinner when Neil came to join him.

Neil just watches intently as Andrew tends to their food. There’s about two minutes left of prep time when Kevin comes through the front door and immediately flops onto the couch.

Kevin just kept sighing louder and louder before Neil finally asked what was wrong. Kevin propped his head up.

“I think Thea is mad at me.”

Andrew prayed it would be something quick to fix. He did not want to take the time to sit here and listen to Kevin’s many problems. Both of them waited for Kevin to elaborate on the problem.

Sighing loudly again, “I’m pretty sure I forgot our anniversary.” 

Neil looked slightly annoyed that they had to even deal with this. “So can’t you go fix it?”

Kevin moved to sit up now. He looked really miserable over the whole thing. Andrew knew from experience how Thea’s passive aggressive moods could really get to Kevin. He hoped they had a quick solution and could quickly move past this. If it led to Kevin drinking alone for days, Andrew would move out to Nicky’s.

“How? It was yesterday?” 

"I know. I got so busy with this contract I've been working on for Trey Anderson, you know the deal I've been working on Neil. I just forgot. It was even in my phone calendar. I don't know how I missed it and now I've got nothing for her."

Of course he wouldn’t even have a back up plan.  Neil, however, was quick to it.

“Why don’t you take over some of our dinner and pretend you made it as a surprise for her?”

“What will you guys eat then?”

It took everything in Andrew to just let Neil finish this one out. 

“I’ve survived off of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches alone for months, I’m sure we will be fine for a night.”

Andrew didn’t love the plan, but if it got Kevin out of their hair, who was he to complain. Instead of even answering, he packaged two steaks, some of the vegetables, and two of the potatoes into boxes for Kevin. 

He almost took everything and ran out of the house right there, but Andrew forced him to change into a nicer outfit. Andrew also gave him a bottle of wine to go along with the meal. Kevin would need all the help he could get.

As soon as the door shut, they turned towards each other. Now it was just Neil and Andrew for the night.

They turned back towards the kitchen and Andrew began dividing up what was left of their meal. When they were done eating, Neil said, “I picked up something for you earlier.”

Andrew didn’t let his surprise show as his eyes followed Neil once he stood. Neil walked over to their freezer, “Maybe I’m lucky. I distracted you long enough this afternoon to avoid looking in here.”

He pulled out two tubs of ice cream labeled “The Creamery”. It was an ice cream place about 45 minutes away, but it was so worth it. Andrew claimed it was the best he had ever had and he was obsessed with the half cookie dough half brownie flavor they had. He sometimes would drive there on weekends just for that.

Neil had not only picked up Andrew’s favorite, but also their brand new “Monster Chocolate” flavor Andrew had been drooling over when he saw their instagram announcement of the new flavor.

Andrew pushed the remains of his plate away from him and got up to dig out two bowls and spoons. He scooped out large portions of both into his and a tiny portion of each into Neil’s. It always amused Andrew that Neil’s maximum ice cream intake was just a sample size to Andrew. 

Even with the portion disparity, Andrew managed to finish his quicker than Neil who was now just sucking on his spoon. The site of it distracted Andrew and he couldn’t help but ask, “Don’t like it?”

Neil took the spoon out of his mouth and dipped it back in the bowl. “It’s just so sweet.”

“It’s ice cream.”

Neil shrugged and continued sucking on the spoon. It brought Andrew back to thinking of Neil’s earlier promise. He looked away from Neil and just stared into his ice cream bowl. Andrew could tell he was growing attached to Neil quickly. Even if they were “friends with benefits”, it was starting to mess with Andrew’s head into thinking it was more.

His mind started to spiral with these thoughts when something cold, wet, and sticky bopped him on the cheek. Neil began snickering and Andrew looked up to see Neil waving his spoon in the air. When he touches his cheek, he realizes Neil actually smeared ice cream on him. 

“Don’t waste it,” Andrew wined.

“I’m not,” said Neil before leaning in. Neil gave Andrew’s cheek a kiss and a little lick before saying, “I like it better this way.”


	6. Chapter 6

The first time it happens, Andrew tries to ignore it. After all, he only found out by accident.

A letter had been delivered to their house with a cursive A on the front. There was no other return address - just the singular cursive letter. Andrew, assuming it was him, opened it to read the contents of such a strange envelope.

_ Alex-  _

_ Just wanted to drop this off to let you know that I’ll be returning to town soon. I’ve missed you so much and cannot wait until we’re reunited. I hope it’s pained you as much as me that we’ve been apart for so long. I can’t wait until we can permanently be in the same place so that I don’t have to keep chasing you to different cities.  _

_ I also have plans to reunite you and your dad. I’m certain it would make him so happy. Can’t wait to celebrate. _

_ See you soon- _

_ XOXO _

_ Lola _

  
  


Andrew wasn’t sure what this was. Maybe it was for a neighbor? Whoever it was had to be confused since there was clearly no “Alex” here. 

The next time a letter came however, it was addressed in the same handwriting to Neil.

Andrew didn’t open it this time and just left it on Neil’s unmade bed for him to find later. It shouldn’t have aggravated him so much to learn that Neil had a secret girlfriend. Or at least some long distance lover he may have been on a break with. Or maybe some ex-girlfriend who clearly liked him enough to send two love letters. 

No theory made much sense to Andrew since Neil claimed he didn’t swing. Maybe that was another lie too though.

Even though it was just friends with benefits for them, it always felt like more to Andrew. 

Perhaps the discovery of the letters is what caused Andrew to start ignoring Neil. After turning him down once, Andrew almost thought the disappointment in Neil’s face was real. He slowly stopped attending events with their mutual friends. The only real time he spent with Neil after this was dinner with Kevin in their house. 

He missed Neil, but he had to separate them now before Neil left him for this Lola. Kevin would be moving out soon and Neil probably would be next. At least Andrew could get the single room apartment he had been wanting since he moved to this city.

After three weeks of ignoring Neil, the man burst into Andrew’s room. Andrew had been brooding over the situation with a book and glass of whiskey, which were soon abandoned as he noted the look of panic on Neil’s face.

“Andrew, I need your help.”

He wanted to, but forced himself to say, “Go ask Kevin.”

Neil shook his head furiously and Andrew watched as color drained from Neil’s face. It was unsettling enough for Andrew that he put aside his feelings.

“What happened?”

“I’m being stalked,” Neil explained in a rush. “She’s actually crazy. She worked for my dad and has attacked me before.”

Andrew isn’t sure when he crossed the room, but he was standing less than a few inches from Neil now. He put a hand on Neil’s neck and guided him over to sit on his bed.

Neil explained this insane story to him about how his father is in the mafia and killed his mother while he was in high school. How he’s been alone for years on the run. How his father was killed by his uncle and now this Lola is out for revenge against Neil. How he found protection with a different mafia boss except this woman’s crazy enough to not care. 

It was a lot to take in, but as he finished the story Neil apologized, “I’m so sorry I put you at risk. If you want, I’ll go.” 

“No, stay.” Andrew says. He won’t beg, but he needs Neil to realize that he’d take the risk any day. He needed to know that he was worth it.

The shock in Neil’s expression overwhelmed Andrew. It was as if he thought he didn’t deserve to stay. As if his baggage somehow made him less desirable to Andrew.

“Whatever happens, I’ve got your back,” Andrew promised him.

“I have to move though. She knows where I am,” Neil protested.

Andrew shook his head and put a hand on the back of Neil’s neck, “You’re not going anywhere. We're going to contact your boss to take care of her. If we move, it’s to another apartment in the city because Kevin is moving in with Theo - not because of this woman.”

Neil suddenly relaxed into him, “Okay cool. Wait so you still want to live with me?”

The answer was so obvious he stared at him until Neil continued, “But after this week, I thought-”

Something like guilt flashed through Andrew. He realized how easily he could’ve lost Neil by his actions. Now that he knew the truth of the situation, the desire to protect Neil and keep him close by coursed through him.

Andrew cut him off with, “I was just having a bad week. We can start looking at two bedroom places tomorrow.”

Neil was suddenly smiling brighter than the sun itself and Andrew had to look away. Was he really about to have everything he wanted? He wasn’t used to this feeling of everything slotting together in his life. But now here he was - planning to move into a two bedroom apartment with Neil. 

They laid together on Andrew’s bed for a while in silence - Andrew with his arm under Neil’s head and Neil with one hand on Andrew’s chest. 

Neither of them even bothered to move when Kevin got home and came running up the stairs. “Andrew, what’s the plan for dinner?” 

When Kevin came into the room, neither of them made any effort to separate or hide that they had been cuddling. 

Kevin didn’t say a word but flopped down on the bed next to them. He moved one hand behind his head before sighing and saying, “I’m gonna miss all of this roommate bonding when Thea and I move in together.”

Neil responded a moment later something along the lines of agreeing. They all laid on Andrew’s bed for a while before Kevin went downstairs to begin making something for all of them. 

Andrew studied Neil, who seemed much more relaxed than earlier. When Neil rolled on his side to meet his stare, he said, “Hey Andrew.”

He made a gesture for Neil to continue with wherever this was going.

“I still haven’t gotten my cat yet. Since I’m staying, will you go with me to pick one out?”

“You want me to come because?”

“Well, it will be at our apartment.”

Andrew raised his eyebrows, “So? You didn’t care when you told me on move-in day.”

Neil rolled his eyes, “Well things change.” 

He punctuated his sentence by kissing the knuckles on Andrew’s hand and heading down to meet Kevin. Andrew just stared after him wondering how he was going to be moving in with Neil in a two bedroom apartment with a cat.


	7. Chapter 7

The next day Neil and Andrew head over to a pet adoption agency to begin Neil’s search for his pet cat. The woman tells them they came during visit hours so they can actually go in and play with the cats. 

Andrew enters the play area after Neil, but he hangs back to watch Neil with all the cats. There are about ten cats in the room of all different sizes and breeds. Most of them are lazily sitting on the cat house structure. Neil sits near one of the toys and watches them all.

In no more than five minutes, an orange tabby cat comes over to Neil. The cat circles Neil before brushing up against him. Then the cat must spot Andrew because it pauses for a moment before slowly walking up to Andrew. Without even hesitating, it rubs against Andrew’s leg too. 

Andrew looks down and then over to Neil. The joy in Neil’s expression tells Andrew that they will absolutely be getting this cat today. 

He really can’t bring himself to deny Neil of this after seeing the pure joy on his face. 

They hang around for a while longer. Eventually, a smaller gray cat comes over and won’t leave Neil alone. It paws at Neil’s shoelaces and sits loyally at his feet. 

Andrew groans internally as he knows this means Neil is now likely to want both of them. One cat was fine, but are they about to become something like an old cat lady? 

The woman returns to tell them the play hour is almost over and asks them what their thoughts are.

“I don’t know. I could see myself adopting any of them,” Neil answered.

Andrew wasn’t surprised but knew they weren’t leaving here without one. He just wanted to cut right to it.

“He likes the orange tabby and the small gray one the most. What’s the deal with those?”

The lady smiled and turned towards the cats as she spoke, “The orange one we call King. She’s been here the longest and kind of leads the group. The gray one we call Sir. We found her shortly after King arrived. She’s more reserved than King, but they’ve been here together for so long they’re like loyal friends. Sorry, we uh named them before finding out they were female cats, but the names just stuck.”

Neil turned towards Andrew with a look in his eye and Andrew knew he was stuck with both.

“We’ll take them,” he said. Neil was practically bouncing with excitement as Andrew said this. It was clear he hadn’t expected Andrew to get them. Andrew figured they were just cats. They couldn’t be that bad, right? 

The adoption agency provided them with caregiving instructions and a crate to get them home. Andrew stopped for additional supplies on their way home.

Neil carried the cats in and Andrew began setting up their litter box and shelter.

When Kevin came home an hour later, he immediately tried to pet them. He remarked how cute they were and asked whose cats they were watching.

“They’re ours,” Neil answered as he gestured to Andrew and himself.

Kevin’s eyebrows rose for a second before diving into a lecture about their lease agreement and that Neil and Andrew were responsible for any damages the cats did. Andrew left Neil to deal with it since it had been his idea. 

He began searching on his laptop for new apartments to go look into. He made a list of a few places to call and began making a spreadsheet over their pros and cons. 

He felt something bump his foot and looked up to see Sir curled up against Andrew’s leg. Completely unsure how the cat followed him and got onto his bed without Andrew noticing, he supposed he had no other option but to let the cat sit in peace. After all, he didn’t want to get scratched by it.

Andrew scrolled as and made a list of potential apartments to visit. He took note of the more pet friendly ones that didn’t charge extreme amounts of money for a cat. He found a new apartment complex that had a gym that looked immaculate along with other cool amenities. He swore he heard the cat purr as he looked at it.

He completed the list with that and set it aside for next week. He layed back on his bed and began running a finger along Sir’s back. 

Andrew fell asleep with ease that night and woke up with Sir curled up by his head. He smiled as images of a future with Neil, their cats, and new apartment filled his mind.


	8. Chapter 8

This month had been filled with too much activity for Andrew. 

He and Neil looked at several apartments before settling on the new apartment complex Andrew had found. Since they wanted residents, they were the friendliest about letting them bring their two cats along. 

To Kevin’s delight (and Andrew’s annoyance), their new apartment was only a block down from Kevin and Thea’s new place. He had to keep reminding himself he still wouldn’t be hearing Kevin lecture him about every meal from now on. Neil would still be asked to go on 5 am runs, but really that was his problem to deal with. Andrew was convinced Neil enjoyed them anyways.

They managed to get out of the remainder of their lease thanks to Kevin and Neil’s argumentative skills. Kevin provided a logical argument to the landlord over how it would benefit the landlord to let them out of the lease. When that seemed to be wavering, Neil went on to discuss issues with the house that the landlord never fixed - such as their bathroom door that Neil had always managed to lock himself in.

In the end, Andrew guessed that they were just more trouble to keep than they were worth.

Whatever it was, it didn’t bother him as he was able to move into their new apartment. 

After they got the apartment, Andrew went on the hunt for furniture and decorations. Initially, Andrew tried to include Neil in the decisions, but when it was clear Neil a) didn’t really care and b) had terrible taste, he just made the executive decision to do it himself. 

This meant long hours scouring Pintrest and various furniture stores looking for the perfect pieces. He also looked at different pet stores to look for a cat tower. Without it, the cats would destroy the new furniture and Neil would end up spoiling the cats even more than they already were.

By the time move in day arrived, Andrew actually felt excited. He knew the apartment would be exactly the home he always wanted. Every inch of it would be exactly how he and Neil wanted it. The Columbia house was the closest he had come to anything like this.

They moved their boxes in by mostly putting their boxes randomly throughout the apartment. Andrew left Neil to unpack as he went to pick up some of their furniture pieces. Luckily, their mattresses had already been delivered so they just had to set up a table, some chairs, and their sofa. 

The trip only took an hour (most of the time was spent organizing everything to fit in Andrew’s car) and then he was back at the apartment. He tried calling Neil but got no response. 

He waited a moment to see if Neil would call him back, but remembering that Neil never looked at his phone, he just decided to go upstairs and grab him for help.

When Andrew walks up to his apartment, he can hear music blasting from the hallway. It’s almost unbelievable that this is his apartment because Neil never plays music like this. It reminds him of a college house party. 

He holds the key fob up to the door and is let in immediately. His jaw drops at the scene playing out before him though.

When he left, the boxes were in random stacks, but now, random objects are all over the room. Neil is swaying and singing along with the radio to “Just What I Needed” by the Cars. His eyes are clothes and he’s holding a spatula like a microphone. Honestly, his voice is kind of nice. He wouldn’t mind if Neil sang like this when they did chores together. At least it was entertaining.

The song breaks for the guitar solo and Neil does a little dancing spin move. Andrew looks over to see the cats watching him, unimpressed, from their tower.

Neil stumbles after his dance moves and opens his eyes to Andrew watching him. He whips the spatula behind his back and puts it out of sight. He fumbles with the radio until the sound is lowered. He looks down at the floor and Andrew watches a blush creep up his neck. Andrew takes a step forward out of the doorway, “That was pretty impressive.”

He still wouldn’t look Andrew in the eye, but he turned to tidy up the counter. He finally spoke, “Um, how much of that did you see?”

“Maybe about a minute or so.”

It was quiet for a few seconds before Neil adds, “I didn’t think you’d be back so soon.”

Andrew places a hand on Neil’s shoulder and turns him so they’re facing each other. “Hey, don’t be embarrassed. I liked it.”

Neil finally looks up in surprise. He can tell Neil wants to ask “you did”, but doesn’t because Andrew hates answering stupid questions.

“You can do that whenever we have chores. It’ll make the time go by faster.”

Neil gives Andrew a small smile and squeezes his hand. He walks back over to the radio and turns it up.

“I Want You to Want Me” starts playing and Neil continues singing while they begin opening some of their other boxes. Andrew enjoys his concert from Neil as they decorate their living room and build a bookshelf together. 

The whole afternoon flies by and they only have two boxes left. Andrew demands they take a break. He goes into the kitchen and pours them some water and brings it back to their couch. 

Neil accepts his glass and takes a sip. “Hey Andrew, thanks.” Andrew watches as Neil blushes again and turns his face away.

“I didn’t do anything.”

“I know the singing can be annoying. My mom used to always sing when doing house work and then again when we were on the road together. I don’t know when I picked up the habit.”

Andrew shrugged. “Your voice isn’t bad. Sing all you want, this is your place too.”

He looked around at the room. It had everything both of them could ever want. It had pictures of their friends and sentimental objects. The apartment was a real home for them. The place was exactly how they wanted it to be and completed by having the person they cared about most alongside them.


End file.
